Staff

John Hoscheidt

Owner/General ManagerOn-Air: Play-by-Play Commentary for Mercer County High School football broadcasts

John has been WRMJ’s General Manager since the station signed on, June 12th, 1979. He purchased the station in July of 1984 along with a group of local businessmen. John became the sole owner in 1995.

Besides his managerial duties, John also broadcasts a local sports report Monday through Saturday mornings at 7:25 a.m. and he continues to broadcast high school football games on Friday nights along with filling in on high school basketball, wrestling, softball, and baseball broadcasts.

John is a 1976 graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a Bachelor of Science degree in Radio-Television. John earned second team All-America honors during his college baseball career and still holds the SIU career record for triples. John played professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals organization for three years before beginning his broadcasting career.

John is married to JoAnn, who is a first grade teacher at Taylor Ridge Elementary School. They have three daughters Kelly, Julie, and Lisa. John loves to play golf in his spare time.

John might best be known for his excitement during his football broadcasts and his signature phrase, Touch Down Mercer County, Touch Down Golden Eagles!

Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor has served as News and Sports Director at WRMJ since September of 1990. He is the voice of Western Illinois Today News at 7 a.m. and Noon. Jim also hosts The WRMJ Sportsline every Saturday morning at 9 during the school year. The show includes interviews with local coaches and special feature interviews pertaining to High School Athletics.

In addition, Jim is the primary voice of basketball, baseball, and softball broadcasts at WRMJ. He received the Illinois High School Association’s Distinguished Media Service Award in 2015; was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in the Media Category in April of 2007; and received the 2008 Friends of Athletics state award from the Illinois Athletic Directors Association.

Jim is one of just a few broadcasters that has received the Illinois Broadcaster Association’s prestigious Silver Dome Award for both news and sports coverage. He won the state’s highest broadcasting honor for his play-by-play work in both 2002 and 2007 and for anchoring and producing Western Illinois Today News in 2004, 2006 and again in 2009, 2012 and 2015.

The IBA also presented Jim with a Silver Dome Award in 2008 and 2005 for Sportsline and the High School Sports Spotlight, a program that features interviews with local student athletes. He also won the IBA’s Best Sportscaster Award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and again in 2015. In addition, he claimed the IBA award for the state’s Best News Reporter in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He has also won the IBA Community Service Award in 2012 and 2014.

His work with Mercer County Crime Stoppers also resulted in WRMJ receiving the Illinois Crime Stoppers Media Organization of the Year Award in 2004. Jim has also won honors from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Mothers Against Drunk Driving, receiving the Illinois Friend of MADD Award in 2000 for his media coverage.

Jim met his wife while broadcasting a high school basketball game. The couple resides in Mercer County with their four children Ty, Tess, Tatum, and Teagan.

Jim is also a contributing writer for the Quad City Times.

In addition, Jim works for the Illinois Farm Bureau Radio Network covering commodity markets and is also a regular contributor for the Illinois Radio Network.

He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

Mike Bertelsen

What’s Happening on WRMJ

This is the final week to shop locally and win in WRMJ’s 12 Days of Christmas promotion. Friday,December 21st,is the final day to our contest sponsors and register to win a “gift.” We will draw a winner at a participating…